Friday, April 15, 2011

As a result of the constitutional crisis in the Ivory Coast, many people are fleeing to neighboring Liberia and Ghana for safety. Since there is no Salvation Army presence in the Ivory Coast, The Salvation Army’s Ghana Territory and Liberia Command are both determining how to best respond.

Our personnel along the border have described the distressing condition of hundreds of escapees who have recently crossed into Ghana, saying, “They have little clothing, shelter or personal resource.”

The Salvation Army of Liberia sent a team of three officers to the border where more than 30,000 refugees had been registered by the United Nations High Council for Refugees (UNHCR). The team reported that conditions for the refugees were very poor and that there is a great need for food, water, bedding, medicine and clothes – particularly with the rainy season ahead.

Leaders from both countries have applied to Salvation Army International Headquarters for funding so they can begin work with the refugees.